Coventry-born actress Billie Whitelaw dies aged 82

Coventry-born actress Billie Whitelaw dies aged 82

Postby dutchman » Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:22 am

The actress Billie Whitelaw, who was best known for her work with Samuel Beckett, has died aged 82, her son has confirmed.

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Whitelaw spent her final years in Denville Hall, the retirement home for actors in north London, which was supported by Richard Attenborough. She was awarded a CBE by the Queen in the 1991 birthday honours list.

Her son Matthew Muller paid tribute to her on Sunday, telling the Guardian that, besides being a renowned actor, she was also “an incredibly loving mother”.

“I am going to miss her deeply. When I was five years old, she nursed me through meningitis and, in the last few years of her life, I was there for her as well.

“It is difficult to know what to say when your mum dies, I just want the theatrical world to know what happened.”

Whitelaw was well known for her roles in the 1976 film The Omen and the 2007 police comedy Hot Fuzz. But it was her theatre work – particularly her intepretations of the work of Samuel Beckett – for which she will be best remembered.

Muller said that his mother had not been well for about a year and had deteriorated quickly in recent months. He said that the pair were very close and said he visited regularly.

“She knew I was there. I didn’t need a lot of conversation with her, as long as she knew that I was with her, that was fine,” he said.

Whitelaw lived in Denville Hall for the last four years and Muller singled out staff there for particular praise.

“She passed away quite quickly and peacefully in the end and Denville Hall was a loving environment for her to spend the last few years of her life in. They surround the people in there with love and care,” he said.

Speaking in 1997, she said that death held no fear for her. “Death’s not one of those things that frighten the life out of me. Getting up on stage with the curtain going up frightens me more. I very often wake up at two in the morning with my stomach going over. Sometimes it’s difficult to work out why – it’s all the things you’ve put to one side during the day,” she told the Independent.

During the war, her family moved from her native Coventry to Bradford to escape German bombing of the latter. Her father died of lung cancer when she was aged 10 and the family struggled for money at times.

Speaking about the stark difference between her relatively comfortable later life and her childhood, she said: “It’s something I haven’t come to terms with – I’m rather ashamed of having the good life I have.”

Billie Whitelaw died in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to her son. Details of the funeral arrangements, he said, would be forthcoming.

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